Billfold wallet



June 23, 1953 B. s. BERGER BILLFOLD WALLET Filed Deo. 8, 195o fy.. i

IN V EN TOR. BENJAMIN S. BERGER ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1953 BILLFOLD WALLET Benjamin S. Berger, South Orange, N. J., as-

signor to Philip Florin, Incorporated, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New York Application December 8, 1950, Serial No. 199,853

1 Claim.

This invention relates to billfold wallets, and more particularly to a wallet having a sliding stay.

The billfold compartment comprises an outer compartment and an inner one known as a stay. If the stay is Xed as it is in the old type of conventional wallet, it tends to cause bulkiness because as the wallet is folded, the stay cannot shorten. To eliminate this difficulty, one end of the stay is ordinarily left loose so that it can slide when the wallet is folded. Customarily in better grade wallets, the entire stay is made from leather.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wallet of the character described, having a sliding stay wherein only the central portion of the stay is fabricated from leather.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a Wallet of the character described which is less bulky than a conventional wallet with the sliding stay.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wallet of the character described which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and is durable and attractive in construction.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wallet of the character described wherein the stay cannot become stuck in one position.

Other objects of the inventionwill in part be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

To accomplish the objects of the present invention, a stay is provided wherein a short, central panel of durable, flexible material, such as leather, is attached to two side anchor panels. The latter are normally concealed and not subject to intensive wear so that they can, if desired, be made of an inexpensive material such as imitation leather. The attachment of each anchor panel to the central panel is a slidable one perpendicular to the hinge, but the end of each anchor panel remote from the central panel is permanently aiiixed to the outer wall of the wallet. The central panel constitutes that portion of the stay visible when the wallet is unfolded, and itis subject to wear, being located as it is at the hinge of the wallet.

It is at once apparent that in addition to the economy and resulting lower cost of this structure involved in the production of the stay itself, another saving in material is effected, which saving causes a reduction in bulk. In wallets wherein one end of the stay is unanchored, means must be provided to contain this end, and although such means could consist of a very short flap, such means interferes with bills and cards in the billfold compartment.

To avoid this, said means always constitutes a longer nap occupying one-half of the billfold compartment. Added thickness results from this. Such a flap is not required in the present structure, since the ends of the anchor panels remote from the hinge are permanently attached.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exempliiied in the wallet hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of an unfolded wallet partially broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wallet as it appears when folded;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the stay embodied in the wallet shown in Fig. 1, the latter being constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line --B of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line 1--1 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral I0 designates a wallet made in accordance with the instant invention. A panel I2 constitutes the back wal-l I4 of the Wallet, the top edge of this wall being doubled on itself as shown in Fig. 7 and secured as by stitching IE to impart a nished appearance. Integral with the bottom of the back wall are two flaps I8 which are spaced from each other and are disposed on opposite sides of the central fold 20 of the back wall. A stay S (to be described in detail later) lies between the back wall and said flaps, and the top edge of each flap is folded over the top of the stay as at 22 and secured thereto as by stitching 24. The ends of the stay and flaps are sewed to the back wall as by stitching 26.

The stay comprises a short central panel 28 of durable flexible material such as leather. Said panel extends across the space between the inner edges of the two flaps I 8 and for a short distance immediately behind each flap. The stay further includes two side anchor panels 30 which are sewed at their top edges to the nap-5 i8 and at their ends remote from the central panel to the aps in the back wall by the lines of stitching 24, 26 already described.

Said anchor panels are slidably attached to the opposite ends of the central panel as follows: Each anchor panel 30 is folded back on itself at its inner end to provide a section 32. tion is on the side of the anchor panel remote from the back wall; thus it is concealed when the bill compartment 34 is open (see Fig. 2). A slot 36 is provided in each concealed section 32, said slot extending in a direction having a substantial component parallel to the hinge. On each end of the central panel a tongue 33 is provided comprising a shank 40, a cross bar .12 integral therewith and extending beyond the shank on both sides thereof and toes 44 in one piece with said cross bar, said toes extending towards the body of the central panel. The shank is of uniform width slightly less than the length of the slot, and the tongue when inserted into the slot will permit the central panel to slide throughout the length of the shank, the cross bars and toes serving to prevent the tongue from slipping out of the slot. The central panel is thus attached to the concealed section and said tongue is hidden from view by the anchor panel (see Fig. 2). Moreover, the shank and the inserting slot are hidden by the flaps I8. Only the central panel is visible from the outside, and only the central panel and anchor panels can be seen in the billfold compartment.

Because of the above described construction, the only part of the stay that need be made of rugged material is the central panel. The central panel can shift in either direction to accommodate itself to any configuration of the billfold compartment, and the wallet can close without becoming bulky even if one attachment should become jammed.

Vertical creases 46 may be provided in the central panel to enhance flexibility.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

n a wallet comprising a foldable back wall and front flaps connected to the lower edge thereof, said aps being spaced from each other and folded back over the front surface of the back wall: a stay disposed between said back wall and said naps, said stay comprising a central panel having two ends, said stay also including two anchor panels, each anchor panel having an end near to the central panel and an end remote therefrom, each anchor panel being ixed relative to the back wall only at its end remote from the central panel, and means slidably attaching one end of said central panel to the near end of one anchor panel and the other end of the central panel to the near end of the other anchor panel for movement of said central panel perpendicular to the fold in the back wall, said last-A named means comprising a section on each anchor panel and a tongue on each end of the central panel, each said tongue comprising a shank and a cross bar, the shank being integral at one end with the central panel and integral at'the other end with the cross bar, each section being integral with the near end of its associated anchor panel and being disposed adjacent a front nap, each section having a slot therein, each slot being greater in length than the width of the associated shank and Ishorter than the width of the associated cross bar, whereby each tongue nts in its associated slot and permits sliding of the central panel throughout the length of the shank, said cross bars serving to prevent the tongues from slipping out of the slots.

BENJAMIN S. BERGER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,423,669 LEnfant July 25, 1922 1,856,703 Groom May 3, 1932 1,924,910 Buxton Aug. 29, 1933 2,496,174 Pence Jan. 31, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 338,705 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1930 

